The invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for producing container assemblies, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for inserting cup-shaped inserts into containers.
At times there is a desire to produce a container assembly that provides two separate compartments in a container for containing two different types of contents that must remain separated. This can be accomplished, for example, by inserting a cup-shaped or cone-shaped insert into an open end of a tubular container and sealing the open end of the insert to the open end of the container. In this manner, the interior of the insert defines a first compartment for containing one type of material, and the interior volume of the container surrounding the insert defines a second compartment for containing another type of material. A closure can be affixed to the open end of the insert to seal the first compartment closed, and another closure can be affixed to the opposite end of the container to seal the second compartment closed.
As an example, one application of such a dual-compartment container is in self-heating or self-cooling containers of the type exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,178,753, 6,266,879, and 6,351,953 to Scudder et al. The cup-shaped insert in such containers holds a first chemical reactant that, when mixed with a second reactant, undergoes an exothermic or endothermic reaction so as to heat or cool the contents of the container. The closure for the cup-shaped insert includes a space filled with the second reactant, and a frangible barrier that separates the space from the first reactant in the insert. The frangible barrier can be broken by pushing down on a portion of the closure, thereby releasing the second reactant into the insert to mix with the first reactant and initiate the exothermic or endothermic reaction.
It is desirable to automate the insertion of the cup-shaped inserts into the containers in a cost-effective, reliable fashion.